Fastest 200, 400 of Year for L.A. Baptist’s Felix

Allyson Felix of North Hills L.A. Baptist turned in the fastest outdoor times in the nation this year in winning the girls’ 200 and 400 meters in the Pasadena Games at Pasadena City College on Saturday.

Felix, who was running in her first outdoor meet this season after setting a national indoor record in the 200 earlier this month, won the 400 in 52.26 seconds and the 200 in 23.21 about an hour and a half later.

The 400 clocking crushed her career best of 55.01 set in the Oakland Relays last year, destroyed the meet record of 54.85 set by Ashley Freeman of Long Beach Wilson last year and moved her to 10th on the all-time state performer list.

Her 200 time beat the meet record of 23.62 set by Inger Miller of Pasadena Muir in 1989 and tied by Felix last year.

“I was definitely feeling it,” Felix said when asked if the 400 affected her performance in the 200. “I just wanted to get out, let it go and get a good first race under my belt.”

Phillip Reid of Oxnard Rio Mesa turned in the other national outdoor-leading mark in the meet with a career best of 8:58.45 in the boys’ 3,200.

Reid, runner-up in the 1,600 in the state championships last year, followed Manuel Ruiz of North Hills Monroe for the first 2,500 meters before surging into the lead entering the backstretch of the seventh lap. His time slashed nearly nine seconds off his previous best and led three other runners to sub-9:06 clockings.

Nine other state-leading marks were posted in the meet, including two each by Lionel Larry of Compton Dominguez, who ran 10.64 in the boys’ 100 and 21.10 in the 200, and MacKenzie Hill of Long Beach Wilson, who clocked 14.03 in the girls’ 100 high hurdles and 42.67 in the 300 low hurdles.

-- John Ortega

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The Irvine girls’ swim team didn’t hold back at the CIF Relays.

The Vaqueros set a meet record in the opening event at Long Beach Belmont Plaza, but a disqualification in the second relay opened the door for Villa Park, which finished among the top four in all seven relays and won with 228 points.

Irvine, despite winning four of seven events, was second with 214 points and Santa Margarita was third with 202.

After Irvine’s Jane Hwang, Tanya Nielsen, Lisa Sciarani and Diana MacManus opened the meet by winning the 400-yard individual medley relay in a meet-record 3:59.11, the Vaqueros were disqualified in the next race, the 300 freestyle relay, for an early departure on the final leg.

Irvine competed without Courtney Cashion, The Times’ girls’ swimmer of the year last season, who is preparing for the U.S. spring nationals next week at Indianapolis.

Cashion didn’t leave without earning her share of cheers, however. Cashion, Hwang and MacManus accepted an award for breaking the national high school record in the 200 medley relay at this meet last season and at the Southern Section Division I final, and Cashion then sang the national anthem.

Santa Margarita broke a 7-year-old meet record in the 200 breaststroke relay. Freshmen Brooke Figge and Devonie Migues teamed with seniors Erika Figge and Sarah Hamilton to win in 2:06.32, breaking Irvine’s record of 2:07.01. Brooke Figge and Migues each dropped two seconds off their preliminary splits.

-- Dan Arritt

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Jason Sanders said Friday he has resigned as Beverly Hills boys’ basketball coach after being told by a school district official his teaching and coaching contract would not be renewed because of budgetary cutbacks.

Sanders coached the Normans to a 23-52 record over three seasons, never qualifying for the Southern Section playoffs. Beverly Hills was 5-20 this season, including a 0-10 record in Pioneer League play.

The coaching and teaching contract of Craig Douglas, Beverly Hills boys’ and girls’ water polo and swimming coach, also was not renewed for budgetary reasons.

-- Steven Herbert

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Bill Crow has been fired as football coach at Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills but will remain at the school as a teacher. Crow, 60, had a record of 34-39-1 in seven seasons.